Let's Keep the Beat
by Lifeofthe6
Summary: As autumn winds blow so do the winds of change when Ritsu and Mio suddenly find themselves overcome with all new emotions for each other. Will the two discover they feel the same way about each other? If they do, will things ever be the same? Read now!
1. Four Count

**Let's Keep the Beat**

The vibration of Yui's guitar faded away as she finished the final phrase of _Fuwa Fuwa Time_. As she sighed a breath of exhaustion and relief, she scanned the faces of her fellow club members. As usual, Tsumugi, the keyboardist, looked quite pleased with the performance. The underclassman that provided the harmony guitar, Azusa, bounced up and down a little in a futile attempt to hold in a more extravagant expression of exuberance. The drummer, Ritsu, and the bassist, Mio, gave each other high fives as congratulations.

"We played well, didn't we?" Mugi said, smiling.

"Yeah, we did. Yui, I was really surprised that you kept on-beat with us this time." Azusa concurred,

"It was all thanks to Ricchan and Mio-chan! They're the ones that keep the beat." Yui praised her friends and gave them the thumbs up sign. Mio blushed and Ritsu laughed shyly as she rubbed the back of her head.

"Now that I think about it," Azusa began, "aren't Mio-senpai and Ritsu-senpai always the ones that are on task the most?" The two girls in question looked at each other and then at Azusa, confused.

"We are?" Mio asked,

"I never really noticed." Ritsu added.

"It's because they have mind reading powers! Ricchan, what am I thinking right now?" Yui got up close and personal in Ritsu's face, much to the drummer's annoyance, and received a well-deserved bump on the head.

"We don't have mind reading powers!" Ritsu held up her fist, vein throbbing, "Even if we did, you don't need to be so close for your mind to be read." Suddenly, Mugi gasped and began rushing to pick up her things,

"I'm sorry, I just remembered that my family has an event this evening, so I won't be able to walk home with you guys. Please forgive me!" Without even waiting for a reply, she bowed deeply and dashed out of the clubroom. The rest of the girls stared at the door for a short moment of silence.

"That's our Mugi, I guess." Azusa laughed. She was putting her guitar in its case, but before anyone could ask why she was packing up so early, she answered, "I sincerely apologize, you guys, but I have to leave too. Lately my parents have been getting angry when I come home late, so I'd prefer not to push them any further."

"Ah, I'll come with you, Azu-nyan!" Yui suddenly chimed in, "Ui's said she's making a new cake tonight and I want to smell it baking!" Mio and Ritsu blankly watched their friends as they left.

"You know, wanting to smell a cake baking is one of the worst excuses to leave early, senpai…" Azusa softly scolded her senior.

"Then I'll just have to capture some of the smell to show what you're missing!" said Yui. Azusa laughed, "How will you do that?"

"It's easy, I just have to…" The two students' voices trailed away as they walked down the stairs from the third floor. Suddenly, the remaining club members found themselves alone, and simultaneously jumped when the quick silence startled them both.

"Looks like it's just us now." Said Ritsu, surveying the room for something else to look at. Her gaze fell upon the six desks grouped together where she and her club-mates, as well as their club advisor, Sawako, would relax, discuss life, and have tea, cakes, and sweets.

"Yeah, I guess it is. This means we can listen to ourselves, though." Mio decided. Her stomach growled.

"You're hungry," Ritsu nudged her friend's tummy.

"That's not what I mean!" Mio hugged herself, blushing, "I'm on a little diet, but that's beside the point! I mean that we can each play our part of the song and give each other tips on how we can improve individually." Ritsu scratched her head with her drumsticks.

"Aw, that's boring. Can't we just play video games or something?" Mio bashed Ritsu on the head.

"No, we can't! We don't have a console, anyways. I'll go first." She picked up her Fender Jazz Bass Guitar and shouldered it at the ready. She began strumming _Fuwa Fuwa Time_'s bass-line while Ritsu pulled up a chair and sat backwards on it, her head resting on her arms.

Mio's long, dark hair bobbed as she tapped her foot along to the music, shining in the slightly setting sun. Her deep, dark bluish-gray eyes looked intent on her finger movements as they danced from string to string, note to note, all in flawless form. _That idiot, _Ritsu thought, _she doesn't need to work on anything_.

'_Futo shita shigusa ni kyou mo HAATO ZUKIZUKI…'* _The words of the song's second verse resonated in Ritsu's mind. She smiled slightly, _I know that very well_. Mio was certainly amazing. She was the one who had always kept Ritsu in line when she got testy. From childhood, Mio had grown to be a beautiful girl with a well-sculpted face; a beautiful womanly body, and a polite but playful demeanor that Ritsu loved. The drummer had barely caught herself thinking that when she noticed Mio had stopped playing at was staring at her apprehensively.

"Yo, Ritsu, are you there?" Mio waved her hands in front of her friend's face. Ritsu snapped out of her trance and fell out of her chair in her surprise. Mio began cracking up. "Haha, that's what you get for spacing out!"

"Yeah, keep laughing and see what happens," Ritsu grunted as she got up, "That was good, Mio. I don't think you've got any problems. It's my turn now!" She energetically sat at her drum set and tapped off the count,

"One, two, one, two, three, four!" The familiar rushed rhythm of the drums filled the room, and as usual Ritsu seemed oblivious. Mio saw her nod her head as she progressed quickly through the music, but then her mind began to wander. _I never thought about it before, but Ritsu looks kind of cute playing the drums…_Everything disappeared in front of Mio's eyes except Ritsu and her drums. Beat, boom, clang. Beat, boom, clang. Beat, boom, beat. Beat, boom, beat. Beat, beat, beat. Beat, beat, beat, beat, beat… _That's not the sound of the drums anymore_. Mio held her hand over her heart. Why hadn't she felt this before? Ritsu had been her friend since, what, Kindergarten? Suddenly a wave of emotions was washing over Mio. Ritsu's golden brown hair, her ever-electric attitude, the way her headband kept her bangs back so perfectly, and even the way she could be belligerent and rude at times. _It's just amazing_. Mio thought. The beating stopped.

"What's amazing?" Ritsu asked.

"Oh, no! Did I say that out loud?" Mio gasped. A mischievous smile crept over Ritsu's face,

"Oho, was Mio entranced by my feminine charm? Then, here, Mio, let's kiss." Ritsu puckered her lips in an exaggerated fashion, only to cause Mio to invent a new shade of red on her face.

"Uh, I have to go!" Mio suddenly picked up her bag and bass and ran out of the room, taking no care to close the door behind her. Ritsu crossed her arms behind her head,

"I was just kidding…" she said to no one. _But it would have been nice for her to think I was serious_.

Mio was halfway home when her thoughts caught up with her.

"Geez, that Ritsu. Why does she always have to play around like that?" the bassist whispered into the cool autumn air. _Or rather, why can't she ever be like that with me seriously?_

"Ritsu…" Mio turned around to see no one, but made herself an illusion of Ritsu running after her.

"Mio…" Ritsu stared at the empty desk where Mio usually sat, imagining her friend staring at her with glistening, lovelorn eyes. Both of their minds inadvertently synced with each other at that moment as they projected the same exact thought in their minds,

_I think I just may like her._

***These lyrics mean "And again today, just being your causal self makes me squee."**


	2. Up Tempo

**Let's Keep the Beat – Chapter 2**

"What? Azusa's sick?" Sakura High's light music club exclaimed in unison. As Azusa's classmate, Yui's sister Ui came to inform the club that their second guitarist had not been in class that day.

"Yes, I assume she must have fallen ill sometime after school yesterday. I think you all should check on her, if it's not too much trouble." Ui bowed lightly.

"Well, I had plans, but if it's for Azusa I guess I'll go." Mio said.

"I was going to ruin Mio's plans but since she's going to check up on the little runt now it looks like I've got no choice but to tag along." Ritsu shrugged and joked in an attempt to play off her actual worry. Mio glared at her, resulting in Ritsu reciprocating a face that seemed to say, "I'm only kidding."

"I'll come, too. Azusa-san may want some of the left over sweets from today." Mugi displayed the half-eaten chocolate cheesecake that was the afternoon's snack.

"We'll make it an 'Azu-nyan Get Well' party!" Yui exclaimed, throwing her hands up into the air. Ritsu poked her side,

"Yui, most people who are sick don't have parties, so it's just a get well visit." Yui proceeded to argue with the drummer on the ethics of when to have and when not to have festivities for people. Ignoring them, Mio chimed in,

"You'll be coming, too, right, Ui?" she asked, shouldering her bass.

"No, I'm terribly sorry," Ui nodded, "Mom and Dad suddenly extended their business trip so I have to go home to clean the house and make dinner. Please, give Azusa-chan my regards." With that, the junior bowed deeply and left.

"Get home safely, Ui!" Yui took a break from her tussle with Ritsu to call after her sister.

Upon arrival at Azusa's place, the student in question opened the door with a terrible, nearly green look on her face. Her skin was pale, and her eyes appeared as if she had not slept in days—or had been getting a little too much sleep. Her hair was not tied up in her signature pigtails and was very dull and unkempt. The others tried to retract their slightly shocked and disgusted faces, but to no avail.

"Whoa, Azusa! You really _are_ sick!" Ritsu yelled all of a sudden.

"Why would I lie about something like that?" Azusa tried to lash back at her senior but as she ended her sentence she was overcome with a fit of coughing; she almost stumbled over.

"Ah! Azu-nyan!" Yui caught her just in time, "Here, let's get you inside."

"Wow, something must have hit her pretty hard." Mugi had a very worried look on her face.

"Sicknesses can do things like that." Mio agreed.

"Hey, Azusa, where are your parents?" Ritsu panned the living room, suddenly aware of the emptiness in the house besides them. Lying down on the couch, she groggily turned her head.

"They had a really important gig, and even though they insisted on staying I said I'd be fine," another fit of coughing and wheezing ravaged her small body, "It looks like I was wrong."

"Well we're here now so we'll take care of you until we're sure you're alright on your own." Mio held Azusa's hand tenderly. The junior didn't hear this, however, as she had fallen asleep right there. Ritsu tilted her head and smiled,

"It looks like she got better when we got here."

"Yes, but we should still stick around for a while, don't you think?" Mugi asked. The others nodded their agreement.

"Don't worry Azu-nyan," Yui petted Azusa's head, "I'll make you something nice and you'll be healthy again in no time."

The light music club spent the next few hours tending to Azusa's house, cleaning and helping Azusa eat for the short times she opened her eyes. They all settled down to watch TV as the chores were completed and a deep orange glow signaled the final minutes of daylight.

"I apologize, everyone, but I must get going now," Mugi stood up and dusted herself off, "I'll be in trouble if I miss curfew again, so I'll leave taking care of Azusa-chan to you."

"Again? Where have you been wandering off to so late at—"

"Shush, Ritsu! She's still sleeping." Mio turned towards Azusa, who had stirred in the temporary burst of volume. Ritsu gave an "I'm sorry" sign silently. As they were doing this, Mugi quietly slid out the door and discreetly closed it behind her.

Stars were abundant in the night sky when Yui's cell phone rang. Because of the solitude of Azusa's small abode, everyone could hear Ui over the speaker,

"Onee-chan, you have to come home now. You'll be tired in the morning if you don't get any sleep."

"But Azu-nyan's still not better yet!" Yui protested.

"The others are still there, aren't they? I'm sure they're more than capable of caring for Azusa-chan until her parents return." Yui sighed,

"Ok. I'll be home in a few minutes, Ui." She hung up the phone. Standing up, she addressed her club mates, "Sorry, guys. I have to go. Please take care of my Azu-nyan for me!" Yui wasn't so careful when leaving the house. The door shut loudly, almost slamming, which was enough of a racket to force Azusa back into consciousness.

"Oh, Mom, Dad, you're back. How was the show?" Azusa said, barely managing to form her words. Mio and Ritsu were the only ones present, though. The two looked around to see if they had missed something but they were indeed alone.

"Azusa, your parents aren't back yet. It's me, Mio, and Ritsu's here, too." The bassist corrected her.

"That's ridiculous, Ritsu-senpai and Mio-senpai left already; I heard them leave," looking at the pattern that the junior was opening and closing her eyes at, Mio and Ritsu guessed she wasn't fully awake yet. She was hallucinating.

"Mio, her fever is pretty high. If Azusa's parents don't get back soon, we'll probably need to spend the night here."

"Yeah, it looks like we're her parents for now, after all." Mio sighed. Suddenly a devious smile played across Ritsu's face.

"Then should we sleep in the same bed? You'll make me and Baby Azusa-chan breakfast in the morning and—"

"Cut the crap!" Mio pounded her friend on the head, as is normal practice when Ritsu gets rowdy.

"Mio-senpai and Ritsu-senpai are really good friends. I envy their relationship a lot. Maybe one day they'll be serious with their feelings for each other…" a stray thought drifted out of Azusa's mouth before she once again succumbed to slumber, catching the attention of her temporary nurses.

"Is that what she thinks of us?" Ritsu said, stifling a laugh. Her cheeks were dyed a light red despite her joking attitude.

"Well, I don't deny that we can sometimes act that way." Mio admitted, also blushing slightly. Before they could continue, the doorknob turned and a man and a woman came in looking exhausted and barely holding up the instruments they were carrying.

"Wow, what a show! Three encores can really take a lot out of you." The man said.

"Yes, we all played well. Oh! Are you Azusa's friends?" The woman took notice of Mio and Ritsu, who were surprised to see the people who they guessed were Azusa's parents, even though they had been expecting them. Quickly remembering their manners, they got up and bowed,

"Uh, yes, Mr. and Mrs. Nakano-san. I'm Akiyama Mio and this is Tainaka Ritsu. We're classmates—seniors at Sakura High. We're also in the light music club Azusa-san plays in. She's a very skilled guitarist." Mio introduced she and Ritsu.

"Yes, she adds a very unique sound to our band!" Ritsu added.

"Now, now. No need to be so formal." Azusa's mother said.

"It looks like she really wasn't alright," said Azusa's father, taking notice of his daughter still fast asleep on the couch, "That Azusa, she can be so stubborn sometimes." He went over to pick Azusa up. She was surprisingly small in her father's arms.

"In any case, thank you so much for keeping Azusa company and taking care of her. We apologize that we could have not been home sooner. We are very grateful to you." Azusa's mother bowed.

"You don't need to thank us. We would have done it for anyone." Mio insisted.

"Well then, you have a good night."

"Yes, ma'am. You, too." Mio and Ritsu bowed again and made their leave.

"Y'know, Mio," Ritsu began on the way back home, "You _do _make a pretty good mother." Mio turned red.

"R-really? Then that means you'd make a great father!" Mio joked back.

"Oh, so you want to play that game, huh?" Ritsu pounced on Mio in a tickle attack, and their laughter echoed of the streets and walls of the empty suburb. They reached Ritsu's house at around 1 AM.

"Thanks for helping out, Mio. See you tomorrow at school!" Ritsu saw her friend off.

"You, too, Ritsu! Remember, Budokan!" Mio called back, mentioning the goal of the entire club.

_A good mother, huh?_


	3. Crescendo

**Let's Keep the Beat – Chapter 3**

The light music club was just entering the reprise of _My Love is a Stapler _when Azusa entered the clubroom, looking as good as new. She smiled and gave a slight wave. The other four immediately stopped playing to greet their coveted band member.

"Azu-nyan! You're all better!" Yui pounced on Azusa, nearly knocking her over.

"You recovered quite rapidly, Azusa-chan. I'm surprised." Said Mugi. Azusa bowed.

"It was all thanks to you guys for helping me. My parents told me that you all stayed as late as you could to make sure I was all right. That's why I brought…" Azusa then produced multiple bags and handed them to her fellow club members. "I hope you like them." She bowed again.

"Oh, Azusa-chan, you didn't have to—"

"Yes, I did! I'm sorry for interrupting, Mio-senpai, but because you helped me so much you can't possibly turn these down. It would be like you were never there if you didn't. You and Ritsu-senpai did the most, so I made sure your gifts were meaningful." Little did Ritsu and Mio know, 'meaningful' was more than simply thanks for staying the longest during Azusa's time of need. Before she could open her gift, though, Mio was distracted by an enthusiastic exclamation by the band's lead guitarist,

"Wah, this is incredible! I'll treasure it forever, Azu-nyan!" Yui displayed a very intricate small cake in the shape of her guitar, sunburst and all, supported by a stand constructed of strawberry pocky.

"That's great, Yui. Treasure it in your stomach, though. It won't last if you leave it out." Ritsu teased her. Yui remained oblivious as she forced the cake in front of Ritsu's face with an eternally entranced look in her eyes.

"Look, Ricchan, look! Giita cake…" Not really caring if Ritsu was looking or not, she gazed at the confectionary creation as Mugi humbly opened her gift bag.

"Oh, my! How beautiful! I hope you didn't go through too much trouble to get this." Mugi put out a palatial tea set, even more ornate than the fine china that was sometimes set aside for after school teatime.

"It was nothing, Mugi-senpai. I had some money saved so I thought you might enjoy something extravagant like that. Plus, you're always working so diligently to make tea for us all the time. I thank you, senpai." Azusa explained. The junior's attention then turned towards Mio and Ritsu, who had yet to open their gifts. Noticing the cue, both girls took a look inside their bags. Simultaneously they let out a gasp of surprise, and both of their faces flooded with a light pink hue.

"A-Azusa-chan, these are…" Mio began, but she couldn't get her words out. Her and Ritsu's eyes darted back and forth between each other's gifts. Two necklaces, each graced with half of a heart made of silver, glinted in the sunlight as the girls held them up. Mio's charm had an 'R' painted on it in gold leaf, while Ritsu's charm nearly mirrored it, the only difference being a similar gold leaf letter 'M' inscribed on the trinket.

"What are these supposed to mean?" Ritsu asked nervously. Azusa looked at them seriously.

"I don't mean to be rude, but I think you two need to wake up."

"Wake up?" Mio echoed.

"The relationship you two share. I know it's not real enough." Azusa went on.

"What are you talking about, Azusa-chan? Get to the point." Ritsu pestered her. The guitarist shook her head in disbelief of her friends' obliviousness.

"I think you two should be more than just friends!" she finally blurted out. Mio and Ritsu were taken aback. "I haven't known you for that long, but even I can see that there's been something more than friendship between you that's been there for a while. If you two don't want to accept it because you're scared of what others will think then you just have to get over that! I have no problem with it and I'm sure Yui-senpai and Mugi-senpai and even Sawako-sensei would… so, please… be more serious with each other!" Azusa bowed deeply in embarrassment and stayed down. Ritsu and Mio stared at each other, their club mates, and each other again in a desperate attempt to read the mood.

_How am I supposed to respond to that? _Mio thought, _it's true that I think about Ritsu that way—at least a little, but surely she doesn't feel the same…_

Ritsu's mind was equally hard at work: _Mio and I becoming an actual couple? It's been in my mind a lot before, but now that Azusa has done this, what should I do?_

Silence roared in the clubroom. Even the strong autumn winds seemed to have stopped to witness what would happen next. A bird, startled by the sudden calm, took flight. As if the movement was a signal, Azusa straightened up and continued delivering her stern, unwavering gaze to Mio and Ritsu that seemed to say, "make it happen."

Both girls' minds regressed back to that day when they suddenly became the sole surviving members of the light music club for the afternoon. The sun that lit up their faces and hair, the commanding beat of the drums, the definite strums of each steel bass string that caused their hearts to synchronize. That was their first taste of what could be—no, what should be between them for years to come. Mio and Ritsu's trains of thought traveled near parallel tracks as they struggled to find what to tell their eager friend.

_It doesn't feel right, _the thought plagued their minds, _and it feels like we're suddenly being thrust into this. Should we really jump into something we may not be ready for just because one person insists on it? _They both knew the answer, but, surprisingly, it was Yui who set the record straight.

"Azu-nyan, look at me." She said. She put her hands on the junior's shoulders and spoke in a voice far more serious than her usual delightfully air-headed demeanor. "Ricchan and Mio-chan are friends right now, and that's that. Maybe they want to become more than that, but you said it yourself: 'even I can see that there's been something more than friendship between you that's been there for a while'. If it's been there so long, maybe it's just not ready to come out yet. You shouldn't force things to happen when they're not ready. Let them figure it out first, so for now, we're all still After School Tea Time as we know it, and the right change will come when it's time." More silence gripped the room, but this time it wasn't out of awkward embarrassment. It was out of sheer bewilderment that Yui just delivered a well thought out, insightful motivational speech.

"Yui-senpai?" Azusa looked up at her senior with a sense of admiration.

"Ehehehe, was that good? I'd been thinking about when to say that for a while, now…" Yui laughed and rubbed the back of her head.

"Is that what you're doing when you suddenly stare off into space sometimes?" Ritsu asked her, only to find that the guitarist in question was doing exactly that at the moment.

"Yui!" The drummer snapped in her face to get her attention.

"Bu!" Yui squeaked in surprise, "What? Oh, yeah! So I was saying: let's just play!" Yui picked up her Gibson Les Paul and plugged into the amp, then turned towards her fellow band members with an expectant look on her face.

No one had the heart to tell her that Mio and Ritsu's issue was still at large, so they just shrugged and manned their instruments.

"Ok, everyone! _Fude Pen, Boru pen_!" Ritsu raised her sticks; the necklace she received earlier glinted in the orange chromatics of the setting sun. Mio nodded her readiness and clutched her own necklace, as if infusing it with hope for the future. With a quick confirmation from Mugi, Yui, and Azusa…

"One, two, one, two, three, four!"

Sakura High School filled with music, in promise that by the end of this fall, the bass and beat of two hearts would finally align.


	4. Chorus

**Let's Keep the Beat – Chapter 4**

It wasn't fall, though, but spring that brought the waves of change to Mio, Ritsu, and the rest of the light music club.

The girls met at a family restaurant on a day off in early March to discuss plans for the end of the school year.

"It's really warming up outside lately." Ritsu pointed out as she joined the others. She had been the last one to arrive.

"Well it is almost spring." Mio said. She subconsciously slid towards her dearest friend.

"Ricchan, it looks like you and Mio-chan have been really close recently." Yui noticed the bassist's involuntary shift while loudly slurping her soda through a straw. Mio blushed intensely, but didn't revise her position next to her dearest friend.

Quickly changing the subject, Mio then interjected,

"Ah, the culture festival is coming up soon, isn't it?" The others looked at each other with pensive expressions.

"Yeah, this will be our second one together, right?" said Mugi, dumping her fries out on her tray, as she thought was customary to do with fast food.

"Man, before we know it, we'll all be in universities and going out into the world. Getting married, starting families… we'll be old grannies, like, tomorrow!" Ritsu got lost in her projections, but was quickly brought back down to earth by a pound on the head by Mio.

"Now you're thinking too far ahead! We've still got a while to go before we graduate, and besides…" Mio assumed a very shy pose and looked up expectantly, eyes glittering, at her friends, "we could still be Ho-Kago Tea Time if we all go to the same university."

"Too moe for words!" Yui gasped, pretending to be blinded by some intense light.

"Yui-chan, shield me!" Mugi joined in her delusions.

"Uh, senpai's, please stop, people can see us…" Azusa said nervously. As if Azusa had snapped her out of her playing, Yui stared at the junior in a mixed expression of confusion and worry.

"When we're all at universities, Azu-nyan will be here all alone until she graduates! What are we going to do about that?"

"Oh, Yui-senpai, please don't worry. I'll have Ui-chan and Jun-chan with me." Azusa assured her. Yui's bubbly eyes disagreed.

"But… but… but… we won't be the same light music club anymore without Azu-nyan!" she was on the verge of bursting into tears.

"Ohoho, that was good, Yui, but you're still miles behind Mio-chan in the moe department!" Ritsu saw through Yui's ruse, and held up a 6, as if to grade the guitarist on her performance.

"Geez, you guys are the worst! Making me worry like that…" Azusa lashed back, unleashing her tsundere side.

"Ah! The cat got angry! Maybe she's in heat?" Ritsu's jokes were relentless. As Yui and Ritsu continued to poke fun at their junior classmate, Mio couldn't help but start laughing. Mugi, however, seemed deep in thought about something, and suddenly interjected as if discovering something great.

"Excuse me!" Mugi called a tad louder than she had expected. This got the attention of her fellow club members.

"We're not positive that we're all going to the same university, right? Although it would be nice, I think we need to focus more on now than the future. Besides, there's still a while until the end of the year. Let's continue to be the best light music club possible until then." The others exchanged glances, but conformed to expressions of mutual agreement that Mugi's idea was best. Besides, they still had a certain couple to deal with before anyone thought about universities.

The next day during class break, that very situation got addressed when Ritsu was pestering Mio for math answers.

"Come on, Mio! These next ones are logarithm problems! You know I can't do those!" she whispered.

"Well if you actually paid attention back when I was teaching you rather than reading my manga you would know what to do!" Mio quietly lashed back.

"Miss Akiyama-san, you can talk with your girlfriend later. Right now you should be solving numbers 37-42 of your textbook." The teacher's mentioning of the word "girlfriend" startled the two band members, as well as the rest of the class.

"Eh? You guys are finally together?" one student asked.

"It's about time! I was waiting for this!" said another girl.

"Ricchan, when are you two getting married?" Yui once again released all common sense from her mind to interject with her classmates.

"Yui, how could you possibly believe that? You've been with us nearly every day!" Mio protested.

"Yeah, we haven't done anything yet!" Ritsu defended her, only to realize a split second later how the girls were taking her words.

"Ehh?!" came a wave of squeals from their senior class.

"That means Ritsu-san is going to confess soon!" someone yelled.

"SENSEI! RITSU AND I WOULD LIKE TO BE EXCUSED!" Mio couldn't take it anymore. Her face was a brand new shade of red even the spectrum couldn't recognize while she dragged Ritsu out of the room without even waiting for permission from the teacher. They could hear Yui's friend, Nodoka Manabe, and the math teacher trying to calm the class down.

Mio let out a huge sigh, and took her friend by the shoulders.

"Ritsu, are we lesbians?" she asked seriously.

"I am if you are." Ritsu replied, not so seriously.

"Really, Ritsu." The bassist's face was stern.

"Fine," the drummer sighed and gently removed Mio's hands from her shoulders, "I don't know about you, but I definitely like girls, particularly you." She pointed her finger.

"And I've always liked your boyish attitude, but I don't know if that's me falling for you or a guy just like you." Mio admitted, shyly shuffling her feet.

"Mio-chan, think. If I was a boy—"

"Kyaaaaaaaaaa!" Mio suddenly screamed in terror and cowered in a nearby corner with her hands over her head, immediately answering the question Ritsu was about to ask. After recovering from her intense fit of laughter at this sight, Ritsu comforted her troubled friend,

"You see, Mio? With your attitude we probably wouldn't even cross paths if I were a guy. So, if this is the only way I can be with someone amazing like you, I'm not complaining."

"R-Ritsu…" Mio looked up with sparkling eyes. It was a surprise the drummer could withstand the amount of moe it produced.

"Come on, let's get back to class." Ritsu took Mio's and helped her up. The two band members looked at each other with definite expressions before embracing hard. Meanwhile, the classroom door slipped completely open, revealing Yui and Mugi eavesdropping on their friends. The guitarist and keyboardist fell flat on the floor, and put on a futile attempt to play off that they were listening in. From inside the classroom, someone whispered,

"Hey, Yui-san, what's going on?" Even though she was already exposed, she whispered—kind of—back,

"I think it went well; they were just hugging!" she added a thumbs up. Mugi, on the other hand, had been lost in a trance from the beginning after witnessing Mio and Ritsu's emotional encounter.

"Something great is happening, isn't it?" she said blissfully, looking through her hands. Ritsu and Mio sighed,

"Come on you two, back inside." Mio shooed them off.

"Yeah," Ritsu said, "No one kissed out here or anything." Though, the energetic club president's mind did wander: _I hope that changes real soon, though._


	5. Finale

**Let's Keep the Beat – Chapter 5**

Sakura High School's culture festival is only days away, so the light music club is preparing hard to put on their best gig ever.

"Azu-nyan! Your new solo is amazing!" Yui pounces on the junior. Azusa laughs,

"Thank you, Yui-senpai. Please, get off me, though; you'll ruin Mut—I mean my guitar." She caught herself. Mugi caught her too, as she looked on her younger classmate with expectant eyes.

"It's ok, you can call her 'Muttan'!" she announces.

"There you go again, reading my mind, Mugi-senpai." Azusa sighed. The clubroom door slid open. Mio and Ritsu entered, hand in hand, and greeted their fellow club members.

"Hey, everyone! We're here!" said Ritsu, thrusting her free fist into the air. She got no reply, however, as everyone's eyes were focused on her other hand, clasped with Mio's.

"So it finally happened." Azusa crossed her arms in approval.

"So it has," Mugi was lost in another one of her trances. "This is the best kind of relationships between girls."

"I now pronounce you Mio-chan and Ricchan!" Yui opened a textbook and pretended to be a priest. Mio blushed and looked down,

"Yeah… so it's like this now… between us."

"No need to be so shy, Mio-chan." A voice said from the clubroom door.

"Ah, Sawa-chan! It's rare to see you 'round these parts." Yui acknowledged their advisor's arrival.

"Don't talk to me like I'm a traveler." Sawako scolded Yui, who in turned simply bashfully laughed and rubbed her head.

"What are you doing here, Sawako-sensei?" Azusa asked, picking random strings on her Fender Mustang.

"Oh, I just came to check up on you guys as you prepare for the culture festival. That and to see how Sakura High's newest couple is doing." Though she said that, Sawako planted herself at the makeshift table and began eating the cakes and drinking the tea Mugi had set out earlier.

"Who's checking on who, now?" was the collective thought of the light music club.

"Ricchan and Mio-chan are so cute together! You can almost hear the 'doki-doki'* whenever they walk together!" Yui returned to the subject of Mio and Ritsu.

"Oh, yeah. That's the reason I came here, Mio, Ritsu." Sawako said with a mouthful of cake.

"She forgot already…" Azusa pointed out. She shrank back as Sawako gave her a glare.

"Now then," the advisor cleared her throat, "As a woman of many loves—" a snort interrupted her.

"As a woman of many loves, I have some advice for you two. You are lucky that you are growing up in this time, where relationships like this are becoming more acceptable by general society. Even just ten years ago you might have come under some heavy criticizing just for this."

"Did you have a relationship like ours when you were young?" Ritsu asked.

"I'm still young!" Sawako lashed back, "And no, I didn't, but I had a friend or two who did."

"It didn't work out because of the times, right?" Mio guessed.

"That's what you thought I would say, isn't it? The fact of the matter is both of those couples are still together, and one of them is two guys!"

"What's that supposed to teach Mio-senpai and Ritsu-senpai?" Azusa wondered.

"I'm saying that even if you go through bullying or harsh treatment, you should still love each other so those others that think differently can see that your love is just as powerful as any other." Silence set over the room.

"Even Sawa-chan-sensei can be a teacher sometimes." Mugi finally said.

"You wanna say that again?" Sawako glared at Mugi. Ritsu and Mio looked at each other.

"She's right," Ritsu nodded, "and now that we're together, our music will be ten, no, a hundred times more awesome!"

"That's some confidence you've got there," Mio giggled. Ritsu wrapped her arm around her girlfriend,

"That's because I've got you now!" Everyone stared at her. After a bit, Mio said,

"Yes, you do. Now quit standing on the chair before you hurt yourself." Ritsu complied.

A few days passed…

Finally, it was the day of the current light music club's last culture festival. Somehow, it was much more lively than the last ones. Parents, town residents, and even students from other schools crowded Sakura High School's campus enjoying the colorful sights, festival food, and various events that were being held. After School Tea Time was no less busy than anyone else. The band members rushed about helping their classes out with their events. Yui, Mugi, Ritsu, and Mio's class hosted a takoyaki* restaurant, while Azusa's class had a cosplay café. During down time, Nodoka came to inform the light music club,

"You guys are on at 4:00, don't forget that."

"We've got it." Ritsu acknowledged her, wiping her brow from the hard day's work. Another shift of students took over so that the band could practice before show time. Azusa rushed into the clubroom a little while after the others had arrived.

"Sorry I'm late! So many people were asking to take my picture… why are you all looking at me like that?" Azusa was wearing a large hooded, zippered cloak with a white star on it that was open except for at the neck. Under it was simply a black bikini top and small shorts supported by a white belt. Scars had been drawn on to her belly and she wore black knee high boots with zippers. A sort of flame shaped translucent eye patch covered one eye.**

"Azu-nyan, you look so CUTE!" Yui exploded and hugged the harmony guitarist hard. Mugi smiled, Ritsu began dying of laughter, and Mio slapped her head.

"You look like some anime otaku!" Ritsu exclaimed.

"Th-that's not it! Apparently I look a lot like this character so my classmates and even Jun-chan and Ui-chan said it would suit me."

"Whatever. Just get changed so we can practice, Azusa." Mio pointed to the closet where Azusa had stored her uniform earlier.

"So, what songs are we going to do?" Yui asked her classmates.

"You're kidding." Azusa said flatly.

"You were supposed to be the one to come up with the order, Yui!" Ritsu yelled.

"Oh, crap! I forgot!" Yui held her head.

"That's fine," said Mugi, "I made a play list just in case something like this were to happen." Everyone sighed.

"That's my Mugi!" Yui gave her the thumbs up.

"Ok, guys. This is our last live performance together as the light music club, but we'll still be After School Tea Time. Let's practice like our lives depend on it." Mio told the club. Nodding to Ritsu, she began,

"_Watashi no Koi wa Hotch-Kiss_!"

After they went through their play list, they had just a half hour before it was time for them to perform. Ritsu peered out the window down to the courtyard.

"Wow, everyone's on their way to the auditorium. That's definitely a lot of people."

"Are they all here to see us perform?" Yui guessed.

"Well, we're the last ones on, so I guess so." Azusa answered. Mio huddled in a corner.

"So many people. All here. Watching us. Watching me. It's so embarrassing!" Ritsu came to put her hand on Mio's shoulder,

"It's ok, Mio-chan. You've got me. I'll be right behind you the whole time. Let's keep the beat." Mio loosened up and wiped her eyes.

"Thanks, Ritsu."

The curtain rose at 4:00PM, revealing After School Tea Time, both their eyes and instruments glistening. There was something in the air that afternoon. Whatever it was, it carried their music throughout the auditorium and the audience. Each song received thunderous applause. Maybe it was from the large amount of people there, or maybe they really were that good. It didn't matter to the light music club, though, because they knew whether they were playing for their families, or for the world at Budokan, this is what they were meant to do. After _Fude Pen, ~Boru Pen~_, it was time for their final song. Yui came forward to the microphone.

"Now then, this is going to be our last song for the evening, but it's really fun! We need your help to start it, though! Do what I do!" this was not scheduled.

"Yui-senpai, what are you doing?" Azusa whispered. Yui winked at her,

"Just wait!" she returned to the audience "Now everybody clap once!" the audience did so.

"Clap twice!" once again the audience followed orders.

"Clap three times!" three groups of claps rang out.

"Now clap ten times as fast as you can!" everyone did. It produced the effect Yui had wanted.

"Why are you all applauding? We're not done yet!" getting the joke, the audience began laughing, as did the band members.

"Oh, I see." Azusa said. "Yui-senpai, do you mind?" she stepped forward.

"Of course not! You do the honors, Azu-nyan!"

"Alright everybody, start clapping like this!" Azusa began clapping at a steady beat. Slowly the crowd picked up on it. Ritsu's foot involuntarily began tapping to it as well.

"Right! _Fuwa Fuwa Time_!" Yui raised her pick and began strumming the opening riffs.

_Whenever I look at you, my heart throbs wildly_

_This shaky feeling is fluffy like marshmallows_

_You're always so hardworking, you never notice me_

_Watching your face so intently_

_And only in my dreams can we ever_

_Get close to each other_

_Ah, God please_

_Grant us some Dreamy Time, just the two of us together_

_I go cuddle my favorite bunny plushie and say goodnight_

_Light and Fluffy time~ (Light and Fluffy time)_

_Light and Fluffy time~ (Light and Fluffy time)_

_Light and Fluffy time~ (Light and Fluffy time)_

_And again today, just being your casual self makes me squee_

_Just reading too much into your simple smile, I overheat!_

_Your serious face that I've seen soon enough_

_Comes into view every time I close my eyes_

_I really want the two of us to have some Sweet Time together_

_Though that may only happen in my dreams!_

_Ah, My Lord, why does_

_This Dreamy Night aches me so much that I'm starting to like it_

_I already took out my special Mr. Bear; will I be fine?_

_If I can just have some courage_

_And try to speak to you naturally_

_Would anything change?_

_Yeah I think so..._

_But dat's da biggest problem, ya see._

_'Cuz then I'll need to think of a topic of conversation!_

_And it ain't gonna be natural fo me to do that in da first place..._

_Ahh, that's enough! Sleep sleep sleep! (Yea~! Let's sleep~)_

_Ah, God please_

_Grant me some Miracle Time, just once!_

_When I finally get that chance to talk to you then afterwards... we'll see_

_Light and Fluffy time~ (Light and Fluffy time)_

_Light and Fluffy time~ (Light and Fluffy time)_

_Light and Fluffy time~ (Light and Fluffy time)***_

A standing ovation greeted the final note of the club's favorite song, and the members looked on to their raving audience with exhausted but exhilarated expressions. Suddenly Mugi, Yui, and Azusa dragged Ritsu and Mio forward.

"It's because of these two that we can play so well!" Yui announced. The crowd cheered louder.

"They keep the beat for us, and we're grateful to have such a great couple on our side!" Azusa added. As if that wasn't enough, Mugi presented the two with golden medals with After School Tea Time's logo on them. The origin of these medals is still unknown. Ritsu dug in her shirt and pulled out the necklace Azusa had given her weeks ago. Seeing this, Mio did the same. They looked at each other, nodded, and put the two pieces together, forming the heart with "R & M" on it.

The crowd continued to roar.

Out of nowhere, Ritsu grabbed Mio and pulled her close.

"Should I kiss you now, or will you faint out of embarrassment again?" she said. Mio simply smiled.

"Stupid Ritsu." Mio pushed her lips onto Ritsu's and they embraced in their first kiss

_So warm, like I knew it would be, _Mio thought.

_So soft, like I knew it would be,_ Ritsu thought. Even thought they only kissed for a good half-minute, it felt like eternity for them. When they were done, Yui waved her hands in excitement, Mugi fainted, and Azusa looked on with pink-stained cheeks. Something was different, though. The insatiable audience was silent. Mio and Ritsu scanned the faces that they could see. Some had expressions of awe, others of surprise.

"M-Maybe that wasn't the best thing to—" Ritsu's comment was cut short by a deafening boom. The boom of the audience once again cheering with all their might. These two girls had made history. The bass and beat of Ritsu Tainaka and Mio Akiyama echoed throughout Sakura High School forever more.

**THE END**

*Doki-doki is the Japanese sound effect for a heartbeat; takoyaki is octopus dumplings, a common festival food.

**Bonus points to whoever can guess who Azusa is cosplaying as.

***These are the English lyrics to _Fuwa Fuwa Time_.


End file.
